Cheers! Our ale's hearty in Chicago

A BREWER is raising a toast to an international export deal that will see its beer sent 4,000 miles to Chicago. Reddish-based 3 Rivers Brewery is hoping the 20,000 bottles of its well-travelled Old Disreputable ale will also be well received when they reach the Windy City.

A BREWER is raising a toast to an international export deal that will see its beer sent 4,000 miles to Chicago.

Reddish-based 3 Rivers Brewery is hoping the 20,000 bottles of its well-travelled Old Disreputable ale will also be well received when they reach the Windy City.

Chicago-based beer wholesaler Shelton Brothers is planning to import a further 18 casks, or 5,000 pints, in August and negotiations are already underway to export two more beers - Manchester IPA and Yummy Figgy Pudding.

The dark and malty Old Disreputable has hints of chocolate and coffee and is normally on sale only within an 50-mile radius of the brewery.

But 3 Rivers' recent initiative to put its beer in bottles to attract the export market has paid off, and the brew will now be available in bars, restaurants and speciality stores across the States.

The deal is in response to an explosion in demand for cask-conditioned ales in America following the development of a number of micro-breweries there.

Significant

British brewers and beers are also becoming increasingly fashionable around the globe, and 3 Rivers has already helped to create and install 10 international breweries, including one in Bali.

Founder, managing director and head brewer at 3 Rivers Brewery, Mike Hitchen, said the contract is a significant scoop for the firm.

He said: "Although demand for real ale is increasing generally, it's still quite unusual to get an order from the USA, given the taste for light beers we normally associate with the American palate.

"The world of beer is infinitely diverse, much more so than the world of wine, for instance. A great beer offers all the complexity and interest of a fine wine, it just costs a lot less."

The volume of beer the brewery is now making reflects the increasing demand at home and abroad, Mr Hitchen added. The company now produces 1,440 gallons - over 11,500 pints - a week compared with 72 gallons (576 pints) when it opened in 2004.

"Twelve months ago, we weren't brewing 1,500 pints a week, but now we are shipping that every day. Our first export order to the States is a great reward for the team's efforts here; it's the real icing on the cake."